Natalie

Wellness

The state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal.

And that’s what we hope to achieve with our weekly WELLNESS WEDNESDAY tips.

Today we focus on SLEEP. Don’t deny it you probably have been skimping on it too. It’s easy to lose sleep…you get distracted with more stuff during the day, add more tasks than you should, drink coffee a little too late, or stay worried about things you really have no control over. It happens to all of us but there are ways we can avoid it. Make sleep a PRIORITY in your life and do a couple of tweaks during the day to improve sleep hygiene. This way you can reach those 8 full hours of restful sleep everybody talks about.

Bedtime Alarm | We all set up that dreaded wake-up alarm for the 9-5 grind…or more…Remind yourself to actually go to sleep. One of the things that can improve your sleep hygiene is waking up and going to bed at a similar time, even in the weekends when all you want to do is sleep-in.

Coffee, coffee, coffee | Avoid having too much caffeine during the day, specially in the late afternoon. Leave the coffee fix for the early AM giving your body time to metabolize that stuff out of your system so that you can get a restful sleep at night.

Turn off the lights | Keep electronics away from the bedroom. If you must read something, read from an actual book as the light that is emitted by electronic devices and TV’s can actually keep you up at night. Also no TV’s in the bedroom.

Work-it out | Aim to exercise at least 30 minutes almost every day. It will help you feel more relaxed at night and less wound-up, ready for bedtime.

Cozy it up | Make your room a relaxing place. A quiet, dark room invites you to sleep. Soft sheets and comfortable pillows also help you feel more relax and ready for bed. You might want to keep a few candles if aromatherapy helps you relax, or if you don’t want to worry about leave a candle on throughout the night, consider getting an oil diffuser and use lavender oils before to bed.

EAT | Don’t go to bed hungry but also don’t go to bed on a full stomach. Aim to have your last mean of the day 2-3 hours before going to sleep.

With the holiday season in full-swing it only makes sense that we whip up that hot cocoa, grab the coziest blanket, turn on the fireplace (not exactly necessary in Miami LOL), and get comfortable in the couch with some of what we consider holiday classics…

Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas | To satisfy your inner child go with a Dr. Seuss classic! Like almost every other 90’s kid growing up, this movie was on repeat at my home during the holidays. Get to know the mean old Grinch that lives atop of the hill and how he got to hating Christmas so much… it might have to do with his heart being 2 sizes too small. Stream it on Netflix.

The Nightmare Before Christmas | This cult classic might be a hit or miss to some just because a few people don’t consider it a holiday movie! But being one of the greatest movies of all time, I beg to differ. So if you haven’t seen it by now, you will meet the Skeleton King in his quest to find the meaning of Christmas. Stream it on Netflix.

The Polar Express | Another one of my personal favorites. This time you embark on a journey to the North Pole with Tom Hanks playing multiple characters and a little boy that will finally learn about the spirit of Christmas. Available to rent on multiple streaming services.

Die Hard | It’s christmastime in L.A. with our favorite cop, John McClane ready to save the day. So hold tight for the thrills of this holiday action classic. Yippee ki yay! Available to rent on multiple streaming services.

Love Actually | And this one could not be missing from our list. An all-star ensemble take part in a story with multiple couples facing different issues around the chaotic time of Christmas but with one theme in common: Love. Available to rent on multiple streaming services.

I know I have been out of the loop for the last few months, but the adjustment of dealing with a new job and its responsibilities, life in general, my dog, and well “adulting” all came a little too quick and loaded and left me with little time to write. Even when at times I felt like I wanted to sit and write, “writer’s block” would come at me like a wrecking ball and just leave me anxious about not being able to come up with anything.

Not of less importance, recently my home-country went thru a massive devastation and currently goes thru a humanitarian crisis due to the effects of hurricane Maria. This brought with it many stressful days of not knowing anything about my loved-ones back home and also the anguish of knowing my hands were tied and I couldn’t really do anything to help them. Thankfully, every one is doing well under the current circumstances so that gives me some relief.

So today, I finally sit down to write and it hits me that this is a time of many changes. Just as the leaves change color, there’s a newfound breeze in the air, and I realize that Fall is upon us. The holiday season is in full-swing! It is the time to be spent with family and friends and to give many thanks, but this year it’s very different. Spending the holiday season in a far away place, away from family and friends…knowing that the place you once called home no longer resembles your prior memories… everything gets bundled up together and definitely tugs at my heartstrings.

Nevertheless, this is the time to embrace change and begin new traditions. Being away from home does not mean you leave everything behind. I hope to bring a little bit of home with me, even if it’s only in the way of comfort food LOL. Anyways, I’ll make it my goal to start some new traditions this year…hopefully one involves posting every week, who knows hahaha. I do have a couple of ideas brewing so stay tuned for more on the blog, we always enjoy when you take some time to read our posts.

Love,

N

P.S. If you feel like donating to disaster relief for Puerto Rico, this is an excellent resource created by the First Lady of our island.

https://www.unidosporpuertorico.com/en/

You can also donate to the disaster relief fund created by fellow Puerto Rican Ricky Martin: https://www.youcaring.com/peopleofpuertorico-957793